More Than Friends in Mineral Town
by LanceSwords
Summary: My First Fanfic. Rated T for violence and maybe for other stuff. Chapter 2 is up! Chapter 3 shall be up eventually. This story will contain a lot of Christian content and humor. Tried with the romance, didn't work. Now a humor story.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Mineral Town was always such a peaceful little inlet on the side of an island. The name described it very well, as that is what it was. A mineral of the island, like the gold of a rock. Although, this story takes place when it didn't seem like a gem at all…

"Get out of my way, 'tard!" screamed Karen. She stomped down the alleys of Mineral Town. Her father had apparently banned her from the inn. He was standing at the door of the supermarket.

"But it's for your own good Karen! Please! Come back! Getting drunk isn't good for you!" He yelled and begged. It's surprising that Karen had such an attitude in her blood if this man was her father.

Sasha, Karen's mother was right behind him. "What did you do this time?" She asked, accusingly.

"I banned her from the inn; she gets drunk there too often!" Jeff replied defending himself.

Sasha almost twitched. "You banned her from the inn? That's her best friend's house! How can you be so oblivious to our daughter's social life?" She yelled, more of a statement than a question.

Jeff's eyes widened as he had a moment of realization. "Oh Goddess!" He yelled in vain. Just as things couldn't get any worse, the town's pastor, Carter, was right inside buying some food.

"What did you just say?" He demanded, being the most religious one in town.

"Oh, nothing!" Jeff lied to him defending himself. Carter saw through it.

"Oh, I better see you at the church later begging for forgiveness Mister Johnson!" Carter said accusingly. He walked out of the store with the supplies he was going to buy. "The goddess would want me to take this as compensation for using her name in vain!"

Jeff almost attacked him, but Sasha held him back. "Don't worry about it, you deserve it for slipping up!" She said taking the pastor's side.

Jeff sighed and went back to his post at the register.


	2. Chapter 1: New Kids in Town

Disclaimer: I don't own HM, obviously.

oooooo

Chapter 1, New Kids on the Block

The large white boat that was the ferry pulled in to the pier and opened the gate, and let down a ramp. Its three passengers stepped off onto the dock. There were two males, and one female, all of them looked about 17, though one of the males looked a bit older than the others. The oldest looking one sighed. "So what are we doing here again?"

The other guy sighed, looking around. "We're here for that farm in the ad. We're checking it out to see if one of use wants to run it, and then the other two can help out and stuff." He replied, looking at the beach. "Dang, this place is really small." He said rubbing his buzzed blond hair.

The girl was the next one to talk. "So, where do the other two live?" She asked, her long red hair waving I the wind. She grabbed it and held it down.

"Well, there's always building extra rooms in the farmhouse, or there's the inn, or they could live on the side of the nearby mountain." The eldest one suggested.

The blond guy was already off the dock. "No point in waiting on the dock and talking about it! Let's go and check it out!" he yelled to them. The other two followed, shrugging.

oooooo

A few minutes later just outside of Rose Square, the trio was walking down the road. "It's so small…doesn't look like a car or anything could drive down here." The girl remarked. Up ahead, Karen stomped towards them, not caring they were there. She shoved the blond male out of the way, over the fence into the bushes before stopping as the older male stopped her.

Karen stopped and look at him. "What's with the hair?" was the first thing to leave her mouth. The older male almost twitched.

"I dyed it blue, anything wrong with that?" He replied, though in a tone that was milder than what one would think would go with that question.

Meanwhile, the blonde male was groaning in pain. "I knew being a featherweight would have its downsides…" He muttered before climbing back over the fence.

Karen, still seething was ready to fight him as soon as he got up. Remarkably, he didn't put up a fist. She dropped her fists. "What, aren't you gonna pummel me or something? I mean, I threw you five feet!"

He groaned. "Don't remind me. Weighing less than 110 pounds your entire life isn't always a good thing." He shrugged it off. "Well, since you're the first person we've met around here, you mind telling us your name?" He asked, sitting on the fence.

She shoved him off the fence back into the bushes. "Don't even try it boy." She said and shoved past them, heading for the Inn. He groaned again.

"Well isn't she a person bursting with sunshine." He said sarcastically. "Oh well, maybe she's just in a bad mood."

The blue haired one laughed. "Gee Andy ya think?" He remarked back.

The red haired girl laughed. "Chris, you can really be a handful, you know?"

Chris smirked. "Sure I can be Cassie." Andy just groaned in pain as he climbed out of the bush he was shoved in.

"I'm gonna go find a clinic. I doubt there's anywhere else that sells First-aid around here." He said leaving them while going towards the northern part of Mineral Town, covered in small cuts and bruises. Good thing his army camo cargo pants were sturdy, because his t-shirt was ripped in various places.

oooooo

Andy entered the Clinic after ten minutes of wandering around town. He finally found the mayor and asked for directions. "You'd think a small town like this would be easier to navigate." Andy said to himself. He entered the clinic and noticed the Nurse/secretary at the counter. She looked up at him and gasped.

"You want a checkup?" She asked, her sweet voice echoing in Andy's ears. He nodded.

"How much does one cost?" Andy asked, hoping it wouldn't be too much.

"10G." She replied. Andy looked in his wallet as his eyes widened.

"Oh goody goody…I forgot to switch currency's before I got here…Can I pay you in dollars this one time instead?" He asked pulling out a $10 bill.

The nurse nodded and Andy gave her the bill. "By the way, what's your name? And PLEASE don't take it the wrong way!" Andy asked.

The nurse looked up at him, her medium brown hair hanging. "Elli, and the wrong way?"

"Yeah, I met up with this blond girl on the southern end of town. She shoved me into the bushes, I got out, asked her her name, and she shoved me back in." Andy replied, wondering '_Where am I going to get a new shirt?'_ He shrugged it off.

"Oh, that must be Karen, she can be moody at times." Elli replied, frowning. "I might have to talk to her later. Oh, and by the way, what's your name?" She asked curiously.

"I'm Andy." He replied. He thought to himself, '_Karen, hmm? I might have to avoid her for the rest of the day. Which might be kind of hard in this tiny town.'_

"Well Andy, the doctor will see you now." Elli told him. Andy nodded and entered the curtained area. In there, a doctor checked him over and bandaged him up a bit. When he was finished, Andy went back to the main desk. "Oh, and, do you have any first aid kits for sale?" He asked.

Elli nodded and got out a first aid kit. "That'll be about $15, seeing as you only have American money." She told him. Andy paid and waved farewell. He remembered he needed to ask one last thing. He ran back to the desk.

"Oh, and can you tell me where the vacant farm is?" He asked.

Elli nodded and gave him a map. "The farm is there." She said circling it. "And we are here." She said circling the clinic on the map.

"Wow, this place really **is** small." Andy said looking at the map. He pocketed the map. "Do I owe you anything for the map?" He asked. Elli shook her head and Andy thanked her. He headed out and followed the map towards the farm, but unlucky for him, he would pass by the Inn on the way there.

oooooo

"Dang, this place is overrun with weeds." Cassie said, looking around the large field.

Chris was running a lap around the farm to get a better look of what they were getting themselves into. When he got back he sighed. "This is going to take a lot of

work." He said. "I hope that we get some tools with it." He said.

"Let's find out." Cassie said before running into the farmhouse. "Yeah, there's some tools, but they don't look to be in very good condition." She yelled. Chris entered behind her. "Well, we might as well get some work done. Lance should be here soon." He said before grabbing an axe and heading out to chop the wood in the yard. If only he knew how wrong he was. Cassie took a hammer and followed him where she would break rocks.

oooooo

Andy collapsed onto the cobblestone road as a beer glass hit him in the side, exploding on contact. Lance groaned and looked upwards. "What did I do this time?" He yelled to the Heavens, not expecting an answer. Andy looked at his side and got out his new first-aid kit. "Might as well us this when I have the chance." He said as he started to bandage his right side.

A girl with a red ponytail looked over the swinging doors. She shrieked and got back flat on her feet. "Kai! Why'd you do that! You hit somebody!" She screeched at apparently a man named Kai.

A slurred voice replied. "Aww…Ann…he's probably just faking hic! it…" The girl with the red ponytail, apparently named Ann, rushed outside in overalls and a yellow t-shirt.

"Are you okay?" She asked Andy kneeling next to him. Lance sat up.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm gonna guess your name is Ann? I'm Andy" Andy asked her. She nodded and helped him inside. Andy took a place at the counter and looked around the Inn. His heart almost stopped when he spotted Karen glaring at him, two feet away from him. He looked at the ceiling. "Whatever it was! Seriously! I'm really sorry!"

Karen stared at him like he was crazy, holding a beer mug in her right hand, her left arm laying on the counter. "And you're looking up because…" She stated, ever so slightly slurred, waiting for him to answer.

"Because that's where God is." He replied. Apparently, Karen's liquor doesn't

affect her speech as much the rest of her body, because second later, she snapped at him.

"God? What God? All that's there is the moon and stars! The Goddess lives on the mountain!" She yelled at him. She smashed her beer mug into the bag of his head, and he hit the ground.

Before he blacked out, he heard two things. Ann scolding Karen yelling "What did you do that for?" and Karen, Kai, and a few other men laughing. The bartender was getting some first aid, but Andy didn't have the chance to see that. The last thought he had before blacking out was, _'Karen and beer do NOT mix.'_

oooooo

Back at the farm, Cassie and Chris had been working for the past few hours. Chris was looking over the farm. "Well, we've done enough for tonight. It's getting dark."

Cassie looked around. "Why the heck are the weeds in a moon shape?" she asked, noticing the leftover weeds, rocks, and branches were all in the shape of a crescent moon.

"Yeah… About that… Hey wait a second, Andy's been gone for hours. I thought he was just going to the clinic.

Cassie's eyes widened. "You don't think he…"

Chris cut her off. "No, he wouldn't do that… Let's just wait and see if he shows up. Speaking of which, who gets the bed?"

"I have no idea." Cassie replied. "I want it!"

"Yeah, okay, whatever." Chris replied, obviously not caring.

oooooo

Back in the inn, the bar was getting more and more out of hand. After Andy had been knocked out, Doug, the bartender, along with Ann carried him to the back room away from the drunk customers. They stalled as much as they could back there, trying to avoid the madness out front.

"Is he properly bandaged?" Doug asked Ann.

"I think so." Ann replied. "Glass shards all picked out?"

"Yup. I guess that's all we can do back here." Doug said, in a disappointed tone.

"I guess we have to go back up front then." Ann said, stalling. The stalling ended when the sound of glass breaking shattered the relative silence. Both Doug and Ann ran to the front room only to enter chaos. Ann quickly tried to find a broom to clean up the glass, while Doug tried to calm everyone down.

"Kai! Drop that chair!" Doug yelled, Kai dropped the chair, it clattering across the floor.

"Aww, I was just having hic a bit of fun!" He replied, obviously drunk. Doug was about to snap as Gotz fell onto a chair, breaking it. Ann rushed to her father.

"Dad, let's close up before this gets even more out of hand." She suggested. Doug agreed. First, they started with Kai. "Kai, you've had enough." Ann told him trying to get him to leave.

"Hic Heck no! I'm just getting started!" Kai replied, kicking Gotz in the side. Doug, who didn't want blood on the floor, decided to end it before it started. He jumped over the counter and ran into Kai, propelling him out the door. Ann made sure he stayed out as Doug tried to get Gotz to leave. Karen, who was still at the counter, was laughing her head off at the scene.

oooooo

In the back room, Andy started to come to. "Huh? Oww…my head hurts…" He said to himself. He rubbed the back of his head and winced in pain. "Ow…" He said again. He got up and peeked through the door. It was madness.

"Should I help them?" He asked himself. He noticed Karen chugging another beer and then throwing the mug at the wall, shattering it. "That would be a no…But they're going to need help…" He said to himself again as Gotz got up.

"Uh-oh…" Andy said to himself as Gotz got up.

Gotz yelled, "Where's that punk of a…guy?" He was obviously disoriented. Andy had this one chance to get him out of the Inn before he did more damage. He rushed out of the back room and shoved Gotz until he was outside. Gotz was about to pound Andy when he saw Kai barfing a little ways away.

"I'm gonna get you punk!" He yelled before running after him. The alcohol in him said otherwise though, as Gotz tripped after two steps.

Andy looked back around the Inn to see the only people still in there were Ann, the bartender, and Karen. Karen spotted him and glared. That was all the warning he needed. Andy dashed for his life out of the Inn yelling thanks to Ann and her father. He was still looking behind him when he ran into another person.

"Yowch!" A high pitched voice yelped as both Andy, and the girl tumbled. Andy sat up and looked the girl over. She had long pink hair, and was wearing a pink dress.

Andy quickly apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry, it was all my fault." He said quickly. The girl was just looking him over. She smiled.

"You know, you're kinda cute." Andy just stared wide eyed.

"Sorry, but I've had enough drama for one day." He told her as he got up. He walked past her and then ran south to the farm.

oooooo

Minutes later, Andy had reached the farm and was in the farmhouse with Chris and Cassie. After Andy ran over how his day went and just how he wanted to get to sleep, Cassie offered him the bed. "No thanks Cassie, I think I'm going to sleep on the roof." Cassie shrugged and handed him a pillow.

Andy grabbed a hoodie from his bag and climbed up the side of the house and laid down on it and gazed at the stars. He set his head on the pillow but couldn't help notice the field. "What's up with the moon of weeds in the field?" He called down.

Chris yelled back up, "Ask me later!" Andy shrugged and laid down. He mentally went over the day in his head and all the new people he met. But, as if his day wasn't bad enough, the roof started creaking. Then cracking noises were heard.

Cassie called up, "Hey, Andy! There's dust coming down from the…" She didn't have time to finish her statement. The roof collapsed, Andy on the floor, face down on the floor on a pile of rubble. His face was in his pillow. He looked up through the hole in the roof. "What did I do?" He called up. That's when he just gave up and started sobbing into his pillow.

Chris looked at the roof. "No wonder the farm was free…" He said to no one in particular. Cassie just watched Andy.

"You sure you don't want the bed?" She asked wanting to help him. Andy just waved her off and slept where he was. Chris slept away from the hole in the roof in much the same fashion as Andy, hoodie and a pillow.

oooooo

Okay, I know it was pretty long, but I hope you enjoyed it. Sure looks like Andy gets the butt end of the stick here.

This is also my first fanfic on here, so please review, and think nothing of being blunt! Though compliments are also welcome. Also, if you see Andy being called Lance, that's because I changed his name halfway through the chapter and I might have missed a few of those.


	3. Chapter 2: The Dream

Disclaimer: I don't own HM and bla bla bla bla bla.

Also, I know the chapter is called "The Dream" but only a small portion of it is in the dream.

ooooooooooo

Chapter 2: The Dream

Andy stared at his watch on the ground nearby facing him. It was almost midnight. He turned his head up and looked through the hole in the roof he had caused a few hours earlier.

_Why can't I get to sleep? I keep thinking about what's happening around in town…And it's always leading back to Karen!_ He thought to himself. _I can't help thinking that she's just covering herself up with that anger!_ His eyes widened. _Wow…that was really a gross metaphor. _

Andy closed his eyes and tried to get to sleep. He was as tired as can be, but he couldn't keep his eyes shut. There was something that just wouldn't let him. _Hmm…_ He thought. He stuck his arm under his body and pulled something out. _Who would have guessed, a block of wood has been keeping me awake this entire time. Oh, the irony. _He thought, almost saying it. He mentally kicked himself for almost waking up the rest of the house.

Andy turned on his side and was finally in a comfortable position. He closed his eyes and dozed off.

ooooo

Andy looked around. Everything was dark, but yet he could see it all. It was Mineral Town, on the beach. It looked exactly like it did earlier in the day. He saw the ferry drop of three people, him, Chris and Cassie, but they didn't look normal. They were…glowing.

They followed the same actions as they had during the day; the only difference was the contrast between them and their surroundings. Andy followed them behind until they got to where they met Karen. She, unlike the trio, was not glowing. She actually emitted a dark aura.

Andy walked around her, and looked at her from behind. He saw tiny cracks in the aura, like a light bulb covered with a rag. All the while, Andy was amazed he was not noticed, but then remembered it was all a dream.

Andy followed himself throughout the day, noticing many things he had not earlier. He noticed a girl with a black ponytail and glasses watching the glowing Andy from a window in the library. She emitted a bluish aura, like that of a neutral person. He also noted Elli, Ann, and the innkeeper, who he found was named Doug, all also had blue auras. He saw various other people with dark auras, like Kai and Gotz.

When Andy was done with the day, he decided to go exploring a bit. He found the towns church, but it was not a church that Andy expected. It too had a dark Aura emitting from it. Andy walked to the window and peeked through, spotting a stone statue of a woman with a flowing dress. This statue was emitting the strongest aura of them all, the aura a thick black, thick enough to block out anything else in the building. After spotting that, Andy blacked out, ending the dream.

ooooo

Andy awoke at 10 AM to the smell of…well, nothing. Nobody had been able to stop by the store so, of course, they lacked any food. Andy looked outside to see Cassie finishing up on the last of the weeds and rocks, while Chris was nowhere to be seen.

Andy found the axe and hammer, and got some leftover wood from the wood bin. Even though he was very hungry, he brought it upon himself the fix the roof.

ooooo

Chris walked along the streets of Mineral Town, much to the stares of passersby. This was one of the times when he somewhat regretted dying his hair, but that feeling usually passed. When he got to the supermarket, he was frightened, to say the least, to hear Karen's voice inside. It wasn't saying anything pretty either.

"What do you mean I have to be nice to the new neighbors? The first one is crazy, the second one dyed his hair, and the third ones just… I don't know! I just don't like 'em!" She screamed.

Sasha replied, but was much calmer than Karen. "How is the first one, I heard his name is Andy, crazy?"

Karen yelled back, "He doesn't worship the Goddess! He worships some kind of God instead!"

Sasha replied, "Yeah, so what's so bad about that?"

Jeff also added something, "He doesn't worship the Goddess? They can't be all bad…Karen! I want you to go over there and be a good neighbor, and invite them to dinner at the Inn with us!"

At that, Chris's eyes widened. He ducked behind a bench as Karen stomped out and headed for the farm. She barely missed Chris, but she had other stuff to think about.

As soon as Karen was out of sight, Chris entered the supermarket to buy some food.

ooooo

"Oh…How I hate him!" Karen yelled. "When I tell him how bad these new neighbors are, he says that they're great! It's like he didn't hear a word I said!" She stomped down the street towards the farm.

After she calmed down a bit, she entered the farm to see the girl cutting weeds and the guy fixing the roof.

Andy spotted Karen at the entrance to the farm. "Hey, Karen!" He yelled down, waving. Karen spotted him.

"How can you still be so nice to me? I knocked you out with a beer mug!" She yelled up to him. "And how did you figure out my name?"

Andy put down the hammer and axe and climbed down the roof. "Let's see, I find it easy to forgive people and it takes a lot to get me mad, and Elli told me your name when I was at the clinic yesterday.

"Ah, okay." Karen replied. "So, Andy, I know your name, but what are your two friend's names?" She asked with fake enthusiasm.

"Well, the guy with dyed hair is Chris, and the girl over there is Cassie" Andy replied. "So, what did you want?" Andy asked.

Karen found this as good a time as any to yell at him, "Do I need a reason? I felt like being a good neighbor, is that so wrong?"

Andy winced at the outburst. _I had a feeling that was coming._ He thought. "Okay, sorry for sounding rude." He said.

"Well, maybe you should put more thought in before you say anything!" She yelled, adding more insult. "But since you asked, I'd like to know if you and your friends would like to come to dinner with me and my family tonight at the inn?" She added, in a sweeter tone.

_That was unexpected…_Andy thought. "I don't know about Chris and Cassie, but I'd sure like to come. What time?" He asked.

"Around 6 is good." Karen added sweetly, with fake enthusiasm.

Andy nodded. "Okay, tonight at 6 at the inn, sounds good. I'll be there, and Chris and Cassie will probably be there too." He told her. An awkward silence followed. Cassie was watching from the field, leaning on a boulder, holding her stomach as she laughed.

Andy spotted Cassie laughing, but paid no attention to it. Karen on the other hand, glared at her, causing her to stop and go back to work. Andy turned back to Karen. "So, anything else you want to talk about or do?" He asked her, hoping she wouldn't take it the wrong way, like she seems to do many other things.

Karen thought for a bit, "Nope nothing. I'm out of here." She replied. She headed out, disgusted by how nice she was acting.

….

Chris looked at the various things for sale at the supermarket. He was trying to choose what would be best with their currently very limited funds. But, as he was looking through the products, he was listening to Sasha and Jeff.

Sasha was the first he heard. "So you invite them to dinner at the Inn because they don't worship the Goddess?"

"Yup! That's exactly right!" Jeff replied, proud of it.

Silence followed. "You're an idiot, you know that?" She told him.

More silence. "So, in other words, treating them to dinner because they have a different religion is dumb?" Jeff asked innocently.

Another awkward silence followed. "Yes, yes it is." Was all Sasha could manage to say.

Chris, tired of hearing the conversation, got the few things that they could afford, along with a bag of seeds to help with that problem, and took them to the register. Jeff turned to him. "Oh, sorry sir. Is this all you'll be buying today?"

"Yes, it is. How much will this total to?" Chris asked. All the while, Sasha was staring at his hair. He glared at her, and she looked away and went back to pinning things up on the bulletin board behind the register.

Jeff pushed some buttons on the cash register. "The total is…86G." Chris nodded and paid for it. He walked out of the store, bag over his shoulder.

ooooo

Karen walked along the roads of Mineral Town, no real destination. She was humming happily. She didn't know why she was happy, she also didn't care. On her random walking spree, she passed the Inn and decided to visit her friend Ann.

ooooo

Ann was working in the front room of the Inn, dusting the last of the tables. She spotted Karen through the windows, wearing her usual jeans, t-shirt and purple vest. He blond hair was flailing in the wind. Something was different about her, but Ann couldn't tell for sure until she entered the front door.

"Hey Ann!" Karen exclaimed as she entered the Inn. She sat down at the table Ann was dusting and leaned back in the chair.

Ann looked at her, as Karen sat down. "Why, aren't you a bundle bursting with sunshine? What the heck? You're usually ready to break the first person who looks at you."

Karen raised her eyebrow. "I guess I am happier today than most days. Hmmm…" replied Karen. She pondered what Ann said, and after a minute or two looked back up. "No clue."

Ann sat down across the table from Karen and leaned on the table. "You had to do something that made you feel good, even if you won't admit it. What did you do today?"

Karen thought for a second, finger on her mouth. "Hmmm…I woke up, ate breakfast, yelled at my dad, went to the farm, talked to that Andy guy, invited him and his friends over here for dinner tonight, Dad made me, and then I came here." Ann was grinning and restraining laughter after she mentioned Andy. "What?" Karen demanded.

This time, Ann did laugh. "It's so obvious! You like him!" Karen didn't like this answer, her smile turned to a scowl.

"I do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

That continued on for a few minutes, who would have guessed, until Karen exclaimed, "Prove it!"

"Well, DUH, you invited him to dinner, and now you feel happy. SO SIMPLE!" Ann told her, almost falling into another laughing fit. "It's also childish."

In a corner, obviously unnoticed by Karen, Chris was sitting at a table sipping a whine. He was almost in a laughing fit, watching this conversation.

Karen almost screamed at the childish remark. "How is it childish?"

Ann replied calmly, "It's 1st grade courtship. You like him, so you're mean to him."

Karen, being as attentive to detail as she is, snapped at the courtship remark. "Courtship? I'd rather kick him in the shin than kiss him!"

Ann giggled at this, "I rest my case." At this, Karen stormed out angry.

"Why, isn't she a short fused firecracker?" Chris commented from the corner.

Ann jumped at this and turned around to see him. She had her hand on her chest trying to regulate her breathing. "Oh, I didn't know you were here… You're one of the people at the farm, aren't you?"

Chris nodded, "From what I've learned today from, how would you say, being in the right place at the right time, that Karen invited me, Andy, and Cassie to dinner tonight here, and she won't even admit it to himself that she likes him."

"Well aren't you a blue-haired Sherlock." Ann remarked. She was one of the few people who didn't comment on his hair.

"I guess I am." Chris replied, shrugging. He leaned back in his chair. "Except Sherlock couldn't draw." He added, smirking.

Ann giggled a bit. "So, you're good at drawing? Can I see?" she asked innocently.

Chris, shrugged, nodded, pulled out his drawing pad and pencil, and started to sketch Ann. After ten minutes, it was finished and had an incredible likeness.

"Wow... Just…wow." Was all she could say. Chris took it as a compliment.

Chris stood up, making sure he paid for the wine. He set the empty glass down and picked up the groceries. "I guess I'll see you later tonight." He said and started walking towards the door. Ann waved and said goodbye, and took the glass to be washed.

ooooo

Ann entered the backroom where there were various dishes and a sink. What she didn't expect was Karen waiting there also, smirking. Ann jumped and put her hand on her chest. "That's the second almost heart-attack I've had today!" Ann screeched at her. Karen laughed.

"You like him." Karen told her, copying Ann's voice. Ann frowned.

"So, what if I do?" Ann replied, leaning on a wall.

"Then I'll make sure he sits closest to YOU tonight." Karen told her, mockingly.

Ann's eyes glazed over, "Since when I'm I going to be eating with you guys?"

Karen yawned, "Since now."

Ann shrugged. "Wait…how did you get in here anyway?"

ooooo

Chris entered the farm and noticed Andy finishing up on the roof. "I finally got some food." He yelled up to him. Andy nodded and pounded in the last nail before jumping down.

"What about seeds? This is a farm after all." Andy replied.

Chris nodded and pulled out a bag of cucumber seeds. "I know they're not much, but it is a start." Andy nodded and took the bag out to the field, along with a hoe that was leaning on the house. Cassie walked up to Chris.

"Let me see what's in there." She told him before grabbing the shopping bag. She peered inside. "That'll make a few decent meals."

Andy spent the next twenty minutes tilling soil and planting, after that he watered them and then did nothing of particular interest for the next hour.

ooooo

For the rest of the day, there was nothing of particular interest going on, that is, until 6. At 6, as planned, the trio from the Supermarket and the trio from the farm, now named Moon-blade, met at the Inn for dinner.

The trio from Moon-blade entered first, and sat down on one side of the four tables lined up. Andy sat on one end, Cassie on the table to his right, and then Chris on the other end. "He sure likes his personal space, doesn't he?" Andy remarked as Chris sat down. The trio, having virtually nothing to do, had arrived a good 10 minutes early.

Andy was doodling on a napkin, nothing worth describing. Cassie was staring at the menu, or dozing. It was hard to tell when her face was hidden by the open menu. Chris was drawing on his pad. Ann was watching from the door in the window and decided to socialize with them around five-to-six.

Ann entered and sat down across from Chris. "Watcha drawing?" She asked him. Her hair was slightly damp and her shirt looked recently washed. Chris showed his drawing to her. It was a wolf running on it's hind legs and fighting something yet to be drawn. Ann just stared, amazed as Chris continued to draw.

At one-to-six, Karen, Jeff, and Sasha entered the Inn. Sasha had a coat that looked worn, but comfortable. Karen wore a sweatshirt with the zipper open revealing her usual clothes. Jeff wore a coat that also looked rather worn. They sat down, Karen across from Andy, Sasha across from Cassie, and Jeff across from the empty chair. Karen was reluctant to sit in her seat, but Ann insisted on it and practically forced her down. Andy was watching the entire time with an eyebrow raised.

"Playing match-maker, huh Ann?" Chris asked her when she sat back down at her seat.

Ann blushed and stammered, "Um..uh…maybe." Chris sighed and picked up a menu.

Cassie finally appeared from behind the menu. She looked like she had just woken up. Andy watched her and laughed. Cassie quickly skimmed the menu. "Hey, Ann!" She called down the table. Andy had winced at the sudden burst of sound.

Ann turned to her. "Yeah? What is it?"

Cassie held up the menu. "All that's on here is pizza? I'm not saying I don't like pizza but, shouldn't there be more variety?"

Ann yelled back, "Well, tonight there's a big group and it's easier to make a giant pizza than a bunch of small meals. All you've got to do is choose the toppings!" Now, everyone at the table, except those yelling of course, were wincing.

Cassie looked around. She quickly apologized, "Oops…sorry." Both Cassie and Ann sat down, a bit embarrassed.

After Karen recovered she stood up and leaned over the table to see what Andy was drawing. "Whatcha drawing?" she asked trying to get a look. It was a four-panel comic strip with stick figures. One was on a ledge and the other was standing next to a box of voice-activated grenades. The one on the ledge spoke first.

"Sarge! What's 3 + 4?" The person on the ledge is holding paper and a pen.

Sarge replies, "Billy! I'm not going to help you with your math homework!"

Billy replies, "It's not my homework! Honest!"

"Fine…7!" Sarge replies. In the next panel, there is an explosion.

"Sarge? I need you to sign this suicide note. Sarge?"

Andy looked up smiling. "What do you think?"

Karen sighed. "That's really dumb, you know that?"

Andy looked back down, "Now I do…" He replied glumly. Karen laughed and sat back down before ordering. Cassie was next to them, giggling from behind the menu. After that, they ordered. I'm not going to say what they ordered because it has no effect on the storyline.

Ann nodded, she and Doug went to the back room to cook the pizza. Then people conversed for a while, meaningless conversation. No, I'm not going to type that either.

Twenty minutes later, out came a steaming pizza on a rather large plate. The diners stared in awe at it. "Now I'm hungry… Very hungry." Andy murmured to himself.

As the pizza was set down in the center of the tables, it was within arms reach of everyone sitting down.

Andy and Cassie instinctively bowed their heads, closed their eyes and each said silent blessings on the food. The rest at the table, along with Doug but excluding Chris all watched like it was a freak show. When they finished they raised their heads and continued on with the meal like nothing had happened.

A minute or two later, Karen leaned over the table to Andy. "What the heck was that about?"

He looked up, finished chewing and swallowed. He sipped some of his drink and replied. "We thanked God for the food and prayed it would be good nourishment."

Karen raised an eyebrow. "And your mini-statue of this, 'God', as you say, is where?"

Andy laughed. "We make a point not to pray to idols or statues. One of the Ten Commandments."

Karen was obviously curious, but stopped there. "Forget I asked." She told him, ending that conversation.

At the other end of the table, things were going a bit better. "So you're an artist, huh? We could definitely use some paintings, or drawings, or whatever you make around here. Might get people's minds off beer." Ann told Chris. Chris nodded and continued eating, looking around at the bare walls.

A minute later he finished chewing. "Yeah, I could paint a few good paintings for this place." He told her. He then started on his next slice. Ann nodded and did the same.

In the center of the table, Cassie was wolfing down her pizza and ignoring those across the table. This didn't seem to faze them, as they were just watching her. Jeff was in awe. "You'd think she hadn't eaten in days." He said to Sasha. She merely nodded and continued to watch, blankly biting her pizza every once in a while.

The meal went on in general silence, with the occasional small talk. After the pizza was gone, people went back to talking.

Jeff finally got the courage to ask about the prayer. "Why did you pray to the pizza?" He asked Cassie. Karen slapped her hand onto her forehead in embarrassment.

"It was asking God to bless the food, not asking the pizza to bless us." Cassie replied, sipping her drink.

Jeff sat there, chin in his hand, elbow on the table. "Then where's your statue?" Karen, again, slapped herself out of embarrassment.

"Again, we make a point to avoid worshipping idols and statues." Andy interrupted, before Cassie could reply.

Jeff was obviously confused; Sasha and Karen excused themselves to the restroom.

"Why would you avoid having something to worship?" He asked.

"Because it's one of the Ten Commandments, simple as that." Cassie replied. Andy pulled a mini-Bible from one of his large pockets and turned it to the Ten Commandments.

"And what are those?" Jeff asked back.

Andy answered again this time. "The Ten Commandments are essentially, a what not to do list spelled out by God. Shall I list them?"

"Yes please." Jeff asked. Chris and Ann were deep in conversation, which is beside the main action in the story right now so I'm not going to type it.

"Okay then, 'I am the Lord your God.'" Andy noticed Jeff's perplexed look. "It means you have to beleive in God."

"Ah..." Jeff replied.

Andy continued. " 'You shall have no other gods before me, and you shall make no sculptures or idols of what is in heaven above.'"

Jeff's eyes widened. "So he wants the be the only God we worship? No Goddess statues?"

Cassie replied this time. "Dang right no goddess statues."

Jeff sighed. "I think I may like this new religion." He said to no one in particular. This, was one of the few things heard by the rest of the Inn. Karen and Sasha came in just in time to hear it.

Karen's eyes widened and Sasha scolded him. "So you dump the Goddess just like that? After all she's done for us?"

Andy stood up this time. "Done for you? This town is tiny, and broke! What is there she HAS done?" He asked in an accusatory tone.

At this, Karen scowled. "Oh, and what has your God done for you?"

Andy pulled a roll of paper out of another of his pockets. "Well, for starters, he's brought us here to witness to you people." He unrolled it, it measuring to a few feet long. Karen scowled again and stomped out.

"Come on Jeff, we're going!" Sasha told him. She grabbed his shoulder and began pulling him towards the door. That's when something unexpected happened. Jeff, the meek and weak one in town, stood up to his wife. He yanked away.

"NO! I'm staying! I want to learn more about this! I'm interested! That dang goddess is ruining us all! Our tourist business is all but dead, there's a sickness going through the ranch, the vineyard is shriveling up, and the meds at the clinic are useless!" He yelled. Sasha stormed out scowling, leaving Jeff standing alone.

This is when another unexpected thing happened, applause broke out in the Inn. People clapped to see little Jeff finally take charge. He sat back down. "Ok, so what are the rest of those Commandments?" He asked Andy.

ooooo

Yay! Cliffhanger! Woohoo! Sorta...

>>

Yeah...

Please review, and again, think nothing of being blunt.


End file.
